US7855533B2 - Charging apparatus - Google Patents

Charging apparatus Download PDF

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US7855533B2
US7855533B2 US11/909,751 US90975106A US7855533B2 US 7855533 B2 US7855533 B2 US 7855533B2 US 90975106 A US90975106 A US 90975106A US 7855533 B2 US7855533 B2 US 7855533B2
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charging
voltage
capacitor
current
circuit
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US20090009145A1 (en
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Yoshimitu Odajima
Junji Takemoto
Kazuki Morita
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Panasonic Corp
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Panasonic Corp
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02J—CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
    • H02J7/00—Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
    • H02J7/007—Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage
    • H02J7/007188—Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage the charge cycle being controlled or terminated in response to non-electric parameters
    • H02J7/007192—Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage the charge cycle being controlled or terminated in response to non-electric parameters in response to temperature
    • H02J7/007194—Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage the charge cycle being controlled or terminated in response to non-electric parameters in response to temperature of the battery

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  • the present invention relates to a charging apparatus for charging a capacitor rapidly.
  • the battery is used as a power supply in order to control hydraulic pressure of a vehicle electrically. In that case, if no other thing but the battery is provided, hydraulic control cannot be performed when supply of electricity is interrupted for some reason, so that braking of the vehicle is disabled.
  • auxiliary power supply for use in braking the vehicle to supply electricity securely in an emergency and the capacitor needs to be charged rapidly from a capacitor discharging state at the time of engine start to a predetermined voltage.
  • Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-116571 is known concerning a charging apparatus for battery auxiliary capacitor for engine start.
  • a capacitor having a capacitance of several tens Farads after the engine is started is required to be charged rapidly up to a predetermined voltage in a relatively short time of about 100 seconds.
  • FIG. 13 shows an example of the conventional charging apparatus which charges with a constant current.
  • This circuit operation is as follows. That is, charging current I is supplied from a constant voltage source V to capacitor 2 having a capacitance of several tens Farads through charging element 1 attached to a radiator plate (not shown). Charging current I is detected by current detecting portion 3 and converted to voltage V 3 , and then inputted to first input terminal 4 a of constant-current-control-circuit 4 .
  • Reference voltage 5 is supplied to second input terminal 4 b of constant-current-control-circuit 4 .
  • a voltage corresponding to a difference between voltage V 3 detected by current detecting portion 3 and reference voltage 5 is taken out to output terminal 4 c of constant-current-control-circuit 4 .
  • constant-current-control-circuit 4 amplifies a difference between voltages inputted to first input terminal 4 a and second input terminal 4 b .
  • Voltage V 4 taken out from output terminal 4 c of constant-current-control-circuit 4 is fed back to a control terminal side of charging element 1 through resistor 6 . Consequently, charging current I flowing to charging element 1 is controlled to a constant level so that capacitor 2 is charged up to a substantially equal voltage to constant voltage source V.
  • FIG. 14A , FIG. 14B and FIG. 14C show change over time of each characteristic of the conventional charging apparatus shown in FIG. 13 .
  • the abscissa axis of FIGS. 14A to 14C shows charging time t.
  • a charge start time is indicated with t 0 and a charge completion time is indicated with t 2 ( ⁇ 100 seconds).
  • the ordinate axis of FIGS. 14A to 14C shows various characteristics.
  • the ordinate axis of each of FIGS. 14A , 14 B and 14 C indicates change over time in charging voltage VC and charging current I of capacitor 2 , loss power W consumed by charging element 1 , surface temperature TH of charging element 1 and internal temperature Tjc of charging element 1 .
  • charging current I of a specified value flows to capacitor 2 as shown in FIG. 14A because the charging apparatus shown in FIG. 13 is a type which executes constant current control. Consequently, charging voltage VC of capacitor 2 rises with time and becomes substantially equal to a voltage of constant voltage source V at charge completion time t 2 .
  • FIG. 14B shows change over time in loss power W consumed by charging element 1 in charging process. That is, because no charging voltage VC is applied to capacitor 2 at an initial stage of charging, a voltage of constant voltage source V is applied to charging element 1 . After that, as the progress of charging, charging voltage VC of capacitor 2 rises and a voltage applied to charging element 1 lowers. Thus, loss power W indicates a maximum value at charge start time t 0 as shown in FIG. 14B and after that, it lowers as the charging progresses.
  • FIG. 14C shows change in temperature of charging element 1 during charging.
  • internal temperature Tjc thereof rises due to generation of heat by loss power W.
  • surface temperature TH of charging element 1 rises.
  • a problem caused by such a temperature change is that the inside of charging element 1 is placed under a high temperature condition by loss power W. In a word, every time the vehicle is started, the inside of charging element 1 receives a thermal shock.
  • the present invention provides a charging apparatus that overcomes conventional inconvenience and has high reliability.
  • the charging apparatus includes: a constant-voltage-control-circuit for controlling a charging voltage to a capacitor to be constant; a current detecting portion for detecting a charging current in a charging path from a direct current power supply to the capacitor; a voltage detecting portion for detecting a difference between a voltage of the capacitor and a voltage corresponding to the direct current power supply; and an integrator for integrating output signals from the current detecting portion and the voltage detecting portion, wherein power of the charging element is controlled to be a predetermined value using an output signal outputted from the integrator to charge the capacitor, and at a time near the completion of charging, the charging element is controlled by the constant-voltage-control-circuit to charge the capacitor up to a predetermined voltage.
  • another charging apparatus is a charging apparatus having a charging element connected in series between a direct current power supply and a capacitor for charging the capacitor with the direct current power supply through the charging element.
  • the charging apparatus includes: a constant-voltage-control-circuit for controlling a charging voltage to the capacitor to be constant; a current detecting portion for detecting a charging current in a charging path from the direct current power supply to the capacitor; a current limiting portion for controlling a charging current to the capacitor; a voltage detecting portion for detecting a difference between a voltage of the capacitor and a voltage corresponding to the direct current power supply; and an integrator for integrating output signals from the current detecting portion and the voltage detecting portion, wherein capacitor is charged by controlling power of the charging element to a predetermined value using an output signal of the integrator, and at a time near the completion of charging, the current limiting portion charges the capacitor to a predetermined voltage by limiting the maximum value of the charging current and then the constant-voltage-control-circuit charges the capacitor up to
  • Still another charging apparatus is a charging apparatus having a charging element connected between a direct current power supply and a capacitor for charging the capacitor with the direct current power supply through the charging element.
  • the charging apparatus includes: a constant-current-control-circuit for controlling a charging current to the capacitor to be constant; a constant-voltage-control-circuit for controlling a charging voltage to the capacitor; a capacitor voltage detecting portion for detecting a voltage of the capacitor; and a current switching portion for switching a current in the constant-current-control-circuit to a plurality of currents, wherein when the charging element is controlled using an output signal of the constant-current-control-circuit, the plurality of charging currents are switched based on an output of the capacitor voltage detecting portion to charge the capacitor so that average power of the charging element in charging process is constant, and at a time near the completion of charging, the capacitor is charged up to a predetermined voltage by controlling the charging element with the constant-voltage-control-circuit.
  • constant power is applied to the charging element with such a configuration, so that the internal temperature of the charging element loaded on the charging apparatus rises mildly. Consequently, the rise in the internal temperature of the charging element can be prevented. Because the internal temperature of the charging element can be suppressed to a low level, thermal shock generated each time when a vehicle is started can be reduced, thereby improving reliability of the charging element.
  • FIG. 1 is a block circuit diagram of a charging apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a voltage detecting portion and an integrator of the charging apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 3A shows change over time in capacitor charging current and voltage during a charging operation of the charging apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 3B shows change over time in loss power of the charging element according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 3C shows change over time in internal temperature and surface temperature of the charging element according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 4 is a block circuit diagram of a charging apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of a voltage detecting portion, a power switching portion and an integrator of the charging apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 6A shows change over time in capacitor charging current and voltage during a charging operation of the charging apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 6B shows change over time in loss power of the charging element according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 6C shows change over time in internal temperature and surface temperature of the charging element according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 7 is a block circuit diagram of a charging apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 8A shows change over time in capacitor charging current and voltage during a charging operation of the charging apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 8B shows change over time in loss power of the charging element according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 8C shows change over time in internal temperature and surface temperature of the charging element according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 9 is a block circuit diagram of a charging apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 10A shows change over time in capacitor charging current and a capacitor voltage during a charging operation of the charging apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 10B shows change over time in loss power of the charging element according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 10C shows change over time in element internal chip temperature and element surface temperature according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 11 is a block circuit diagram of a charging element and its vicinity of a charging apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 12 shows change over time in capacitor charging current of the charging apparatus according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 13 is a block circuit diagram of a conventional charging apparatus.
  • FIG. 14A shows change over time in capacitor charging current and voltage during a charging operation of the conventional charging apparatus.
  • FIG. 14B shows change over time in loss power of a conventional charging element.
  • FIG. 14C shows change over time in internal temperature and surface temperature of the conventional charging element.
  • FIGS. 1 to 3C concern a first embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 1 is a block circuit diagram of a charging apparatus.
  • FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a voltage detecting portion and an integrator of the charging apparatus.
  • FIG. 3A shows change over time in charging current of a capacitor and voltage generated in the capacitor.
  • FIG. 3B shows change over time in loss power of a charging element.
  • FIG. 3C shows change over time in internal temperature and surface temperature of the charging element.
  • DC (direct current) power supply 10 and capacitor 11 are connected to charging apparatus 100 .
  • DC power supply 10 supplies charging apparatus 100 with electric power, and electric charge is accumulated in capacitor 11 by electric power of DC power supply 10 .
  • Capacitor 11 is constructed of an electric double layer capacitor. Consequently, not only rapid charging is enabled but also large electric power can be discharged for the braking of a vehicle in an emergency.
  • the charging apparatus in the first embodiment adopts the electric double layer capacitor because it is exemplified as the one for use in braking of a vehicle.
  • the capacitor according to the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be a capacitor which is ordinarily used in general charging applications.
  • Backup circuit 200 formed of electronic devices 14 such as switch 12 , diode 13 and vehicle braking device is connected to charging apparatus 100 .
  • switch 12 When supply of electric power from DC power supply 10 to charging apparatus 100 is turned off, switch 12 is closed by a signal of a sensor circuit (not shown) for detecting a fall in voltage of DC power supply 10 and charge of capacitor 11 is supplied to electric device 14 through diode 13 .
  • Charging element 15 controls current for accumulating charges in capacitor 11 .
  • Charging element 15 is mounted on, e.g., a radiator plate (not shown) and provided on a connecting path between DC power supply 10 and capacitor 11 .
  • an anode of diode 16 is connected to DC power supply 10 side and its cathode is connected to charging element 15 .
  • a voltage appearing at terminal 18 that is, voltage VC generated at both terminals of capacitor 11 and reference voltage 19 are inputted to two input terminals of constant-voltage-control-circuit 17 .
  • a voltage differentially amplified by constant-voltage-control-circuit 17 is inputted to control synthetic circuit 20 .
  • An output terminal of control synthetic circuit 20 is connected to charging element 15 connected to capacitor 11 . Consequently, the charging voltage to capacitor 1 can be maintained constant.
  • the circuit operation of constant-voltage-control-circuit 17 will be described later.
  • Voltage detecting portion 21 includes first input terminal 21 a and second input terminal 21 b .
  • a voltage inputted to charging element 15 that is, input voltage V 15 a corresponding to DC power supply 10 is inputted to first input terminal 21 a .
  • a voltage of terminal 18 that is, voltage VC of capacitor 11 is inputted to second input terminal 21 b .
  • Voltage detecting portion 21 detects a voltage which is a difference between the two and further amplifies its magnitude and outputs the same to output terminal 21 c .
  • the output voltage taken out from output terminal 21 c of voltage detecting portion 21 is inputted to integrator 22 .
  • current detecting portion 23 is usually constructed of a resistor, it may be a current sensor which outputs a voltage proportional to a current, and converts a charging current, which flows through a charging path from DC power supply 10 to capacitor 11 , to a voltage.
  • the voltage taken out from current detecting portion 23 is inputted to integrator 22 through terminal 22 a.
  • Integrator 22 integrates voltages of both voltage detecting portion 21 and current detecting portion 23 to calculate electric power. An output voltage of integrator 22 is inputted to control synthetic circuit 20 through terminal 22 b . The detailed operation of integrator 22 will be described later.
  • Control synthetic circuit 20 is constituted of resistors 24 a to 24 d , transistor 25 , and diodes 26 a and 26 b .
  • a terminal of each of resistors 24 a and 24 b is connected to a collector and an emitter of transistor 25 .
  • the other terminals of resistors 24 a and 24 b are connected to resistor 28 and a grounding terminal (GND).
  • a base voltage determined by division by resistors 24 c , 24 d is applied to the base of transistor 25 .
  • Diodes 26 a and 26 b are connected to the base of transistor 25 .
  • Diodes 26 a and 26 b constitute a so-called OR circuit.
  • control synthetic circuit 20 On the input side of control synthetic circuit 20 , diodes 26 a and 26 b are connected to integrator 22 and constant-voltage-control-circuit 17 separately to construct an OR circuit. Thus, control synthetic circuit 20 is controlled by any one operation of integrator 22 and constant-voltage-control-circuit 17 .
  • Control synthetic circuit 20 drives transistor 25 according to a current supplied through resistor 24 c connected to internal power supply 27 and controls charging element 15 through resistor 28 connected between other terminal of resistor 24 a and charging element 15 .
  • the control of base voltage of transistor 25 is determined by cathode voltages of diodes 26 a and 26 b which configures an OR circuit.
  • FIG. 2 shows specific circuit structures of voltage detecting portion 21 and integrator 22 shown in FIG. 1 .
  • Integrator 22 is formed of comparator 29 , sawtooth generator 30 for generating a stabilized frequency and voltage, smoothing device 34 including amplifier 31 , resistors 32 a , 32 b and capacitor 33 , and reference voltage 35 .
  • Voltage detecting portion 21 is connected to integrator 22 through terminal 21 c .
  • Voltage detecting portion 21 is formed of differential amplifier 36 , resistors 38 a , 38 b , 38 c , 38 d and terminals 21 a , 21 b , 21 c .
  • the input side voltage of charging element 15 through terminal 21 a is divided by resistors 38 a , 38 b and supplied to a non-inverting input terminal (+) of differential amplifier 36 .
  • Voltage VC of capacitor 11 that is, a voltage of terminal 18 is inputted to an inverting input terminal ( ⁇ ) of differential amplifier 36 through terminal 21 b and resistor 38 d .
  • Negative feedback resistor 38 c is connected between output terminal 21 c of differential amplifier 36 and the inverting input terminal ( ⁇ ).
  • Differential amplifier 36 amplifies both differential voltages inputted to the inverting input terminal ( ⁇ ) and the non-inverting input terminal (+). That is, a voltage proportional to the input voltage inputted to charging element 15 is compared with voltage VC appearing at capacitor 11 and then, a differential voltage between them is amplified and its result is outputted to output terminal 21 c
  • the output voltage outputted to output terminal 21 c is inputted to the non-inverting input terminal (+) of comparator 29 .
  • a sawtooth waveform voltage from sawtooth generator 30 is inputted to the inverting input terminal ( ⁇ ) of comparator 29 .
  • Comparator 29 is configured to obtain a difference between both of the voltages. That is, an output of current detecting portion 23 is inputted to smoothing device 34 from terminal 22 a during a period when the output voltage of voltage detecting portion 21 is higher than the voltage of sawtooth generator 30 .
  • a signal corresponding to so-called electric power which is produced by integrating charging current I with a difference of voltage between input voltage V 15 a of charging element 15 and voltage VC of capacitor 11 , is outputted from output terminal 22 b of smoothing device 34 .
  • the output voltage outputted from output terminal 22 b is controlled to be equal to reference voltage 35 and inputted to control synthetic circuit 20 . Consequently, the electric power of charging element 15 is controlled to be constant in the charging process.
  • FIGS. 3A , 3 B, and 3 C show change over time of the charging apparatus having such a structure.
  • the operating condition for the present invention is set such that the same radiator plate and charging element as the conventional ones are used and the same charge completion time t 2 is defined.
  • the abscissa axis and the ordinate axis in FIGS. 3A to 3C are the same as those in FIG. 14 showing a conventional example. That is, the abscissa axis indicates time t.
  • the charge start time is expressed by t 0 and the charge completion time is expressed by t 2 ( ⁇ 100 seconds).
  • the ordinate axis indicates various electric characteristics.
  • the axes of ordinate of FIGS. 3A , 3 B and 3 C indicate charging voltage VC and charging current I of the capacitor 11 , loss power W consumed by charging element 15 , surface temperature TH of charging element 15 and its internal temperature Tj, respectively.
  • FIG. 3C shows also change over time in internal temperature Tjc of conventional charging element 1 for comparison.
  • a different point of the first embodiment from FIG. 14 of the conventional example is that surface temperature TH and its internal temperature Tj of charging element 15 are rising mildly in a substantially straight line by controlling loss power W (see FIG. 3B ) in the charging process.
  • maximum value Tjmax of internal temperature Tj of charging element 15 reaches about 80% conventional maximum value Tjcmax, thereby eliminating a disadvantage that charging element 15 may be exposed to high temperature.
  • capacitor 11 is charged to a predetermined voltage while excess current is prevented from passing through, so that the constant voltage control operation can be started at time t 2 .
  • the charging current increased at time t 2 f in the vicinity of charge completion time t 2 can be reduced gradually.
  • Time from time t 2 f to time t 2 cannot be uniformly defined from the above-described operation, and as the internal resistance of capacitor 11 increases, an apparent voltage generated at terminal 18 rises depending on the magnitude of the charging current. Thus, although time taken to reach constant-voltage-control-voltage Vcs is shortened, time from time t 2 f to time t 2 increases in contrast, thereby turning to a charging time dependent on the internal resistance of the capacitor.
  • the temperature at which charging element 15 produces heat can be reduced under the conditions of the same charging time, charging element and radiator plate as the conventional ones. As a result, thermal shock, which tends to occur each time when a vehicle is actuated, can be reduced thereby providing a highly reliable charging apparatus.
  • FIGS. 4 to 6C show a charging apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of a voltage detecting portion, a power switching portion and an integrator of the charging apparatus.
  • FIGS. 6A , 6 B and 6 C show change over time of the charging apparatus during a charging operation.
  • FIG. 6A shows change over time in the charging current and capacitor voltage of the capacitor
  • FIG. 6B shows change over time in loss power of the charging element
  • FIG. 6C shows change over time in the internal temperature and surface temperature of the charging element.
  • FIGS. 4 and 5 the same reference numerals designate the same components as in FIGS. 1 and 2 .
  • the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that power switching portion 37 is connected between terminal 21 c of voltage detecting portion 21 and integrator 22 .
  • the second embodiment is provided with power switching portion 37 constituted of hysteresis comparator 38 which compares reference voltage 35 with a voltage of terminal 21 c of voltage detecting portion 21 . Further, the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that integrator 22 is provided with resistors 39 a , 39 b and 39 c for switching the reference voltage of smoothing device 34 by the operation of hysteresis comparator 38 .
  • terminal 21 c of voltage detecting portion 21 is compared with reference voltage 35 by hysteresis comparator 38 , and when an output of terminal 21 c becomes larger than a predetermined value determined by reference voltage 35 , hysteresis comparator 38 is turned OFF.
  • an output of smoothing device 34 becomes a power signal based on a voltage obtained by dividing reference voltage 35 with resistors 39 b and 39 c .
  • the output voltage of smoothing device 34 is inputted to control synthetic circuit 20 through terminal 22 b . Consequently, the charging is progressed while loss power W of charging element 15 is controlled to be constant.
  • FIGS. 6A , 6 B and 6 C show change over time in the capacitor charging current and voltage, the loss power of the charging element and the internal temperature and surface temperature of the charging element during a charging operation of the charging apparatus.
  • resistors 39 a and 39 b are connected in parallel to each other, so that an output of smoothing device 34 becomes a power signal, which is determined by a voltage smaller than a voltage obtained by dividing reference voltage 35 with resistors 39 b and 39 c , whereby loss power W of charging element 15 is controlled to be reduced.
  • charging current I which increases as the difference between input voltage V 15 of charging element 15 and voltage VC of capacitor 11 decreases during the charging process, can be suppressed to be smaller than charging current I in FIG. 3A .
  • first terminal 21 a of voltage detecting portion 21 is connected electrically to a common connecting point between charging element 15 and diode 16 through connecting line 21 ab .
  • terminal 21 a may be connected to the common connecting point between DC power supply 10 and diode 16 through connecting line 21 ac.
  • voltage detecting portion 21 measures a voltage at a circuit portion including every circuit component constituting a circuit in which the charging current flows, between DC power supply 10 and capacitor 11 .
  • voltage detecting portion 21 always perform measurement with a voltage of diode 16 contained, and thus total power of circuit components including diode 16 can be controlled to be constant. Consequently, heat generation in a circuit device including diode 16 interposed in the charging path can be suppressed, thereby providing a charging apparatus with very high reliability.
  • the second embodiment may be so constructed as to measure a difference in voltage including the voltage of current detecting portion 23 with voltage detecting portion 21 by connecting current detecting portion 23 between DC power supply 10 and terminal 18 of capacitor 11 .
  • FIGS. 7 to 8C show a charging apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 7 is a block circuit diagram of the charging apparatus.
  • FIG. 8A shows change over time in the capacitor charging current and capacitor voltage
  • FIG. 8B shows change over time in the loss power of the charging element
  • FIG. 8C shows change over time in the internal temperature and surface temperature of the charging element.
  • FIG. 7 like reference numerals denotes the same components as in FIG. 1 .
  • the third embodiment shown in FIG. 7 is provided with current limiting portion 40 and diode 41 in addition to the structure described in the first embodiment.
  • current limiting portion 40 is constructed of a differential amplifier, and a voltage of current detecting portion 23 and reference voltage 19 are provided to each of two inputs of current limiting portion 40 separately.
  • An output terminal of current limiting portion 40 is connected to control synthetic circuit 20 through diode 41 .
  • Diode 41 constructs a so-called OR circuit together with diodes 26 a and 26 b . That is, in the third embodiment, current limiting portion 40 is connected to the input side of control synthetic circuit 20 as well as integrator 22 and constant-voltage-control-circuit 17 to build a new OR circuit structure with these circuit portions.
  • FIG. 8B With loss power W of charging element 15 controlled to be constant from charge start time t 0 to charge completion time t 2 as in the first embodiment, charging from DC power supply 10 to capacitor 11 is progressed. As a result, charging current I is increased as shown in FIG. 8A .
  • charging element 15 is controlled by constant-voltage-control-circuit 17 as in the first embodiment so as to charge capacitor 11 up to a predetermined voltage while preventing excess current from passing through, and then the charging operation is completed at charge completion time t 2 .
  • FIG. 8C shows change over time in surface temperature TH and internal temperature Tj of charging element 15 when it is charged in this way. It has been found that maximum temperature Tjmax of surface temperature TH and internal temperature Tj of charging element 15 becomes lower than that of the first embodiment.
  • the charging current can be fed to the charging apparatus with circuit components constituting the charging path kept within a rated current range, and thus maximum temperature Tjmax within charging element 15 can be reduced further, thereby providing a charging apparatus with higher reliability.
  • connecting line 21 ab to be connected to terminal 21 a of voltage detecting portion 21 may be connected to a common connecting point between DC power supply 10 and diode 16 as shown with a connecting line 21 ac (see FIG. 7 ), not to the common connecting point between diode 16 , charging element 15 and resistor 28 . Consequently, the output voltage measured at voltage detecting portion 21 becomes a voltage of a circuit portion including every circuit component constituting a circuit in which the charging current flows between DC power supply 10 and capacitor 11 , including diode 16 , thereby making it possible to suppress heat generation in the circuit components such as a transistor, a diode, a resistor and a capacitor disposed at the charging path, so as to provide a charging apparatus with high reliability.
  • Diode 16 may be attached to a radiator plate (not shown) to which charging element 15 is attached. Consequently, heat generated in charging element 15 and diode 16 may be radiated to the radiator plate effectively, so that maximum temperature Tjmax within charging element 15 can be reduced further.
  • FIGS. 9 to 10C show a charging apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 9 is a block circuit diagram of the charging apparatus.
  • FIG. 10A shows change over time in the capacitor charging current and capacitor voltage
  • FIG. 10B shows change over time in the loss power of the charging element
  • FIG. 10C shows change over time in the internal temperature and surface temperature of the charging element.
  • capacitor voltage detecting portion 42 detects a voltage at capacitor 11 and outputs an ON/OFF signal corresponding to the voltage.
  • Current switching portion 43 is so constructed as to change the charging current by turning ON/OFF switch 45 connected to resistor 44 by receiving an output signal from capacitor voltage detecting portion 42 .
  • Capacitor voltage detecting portion 42 and current switching portion 43 are constructed of a microcomputer. That is, voltage VC of capacitor 11 is detected as a digital signal by an A/D converter (not shown) incorporated in the microcomputer. Whether or not predetermined voltage Va described later has been attained is determined by the micro computer using this digital signal, and switch 45 of current switching portion 43 is switched corresponding to the result of that determination. With this structure, capacitor voltage detecting portion 42 and current switching portion 43 can be simplified and reduced in size. Current/voltage conversion voltage and reference voltage 19 are provided to constant-current-control-circuit 46 from current detecting portion 23 , and its output voltage is inputted to control synthetic circuit 20 .
  • a signal for turning ON switch 45 of current switching portion 43 is outputted from capacitor voltage detecting portion 42 until voltage VC of capacitor 11 reaches predetermined voltage Va at time t 7 .
  • a voltage on the reference side of constant-current-control-circuit 46 is set to a voltage obtained by dividing reference voltage 19 with a parallel resistor comprised of resistor 44 and resistor 47 , and resistor 48 , and consequently, the charging current acts to become constant current I 11 .
  • FIGS. 10B and 10C show loss power and heat generation of charging element 15 when capacitor 11 is charged from DC power supply 10 using the radiator plate and charging element as conventionally used ones by switching the charging current so that the charging is completed within the same charging time t 2 ( ⁇ 100 seconds). Loss power of charging element 15 is expressed by W 11 , W 12 .
  • FIG. 10B shows setting of charging currents I 11 , I 12 and predetermined voltage Va so that average power Wa (indicated by rightward falling oblique lines) obtained by averaging loss power W 11 from charge start time t 0 to time t 7 during charging process with the time from charge start time t 0 to time t 7 and average power Wb (indicated by leftward falling oblique lines) obtained by averaging loss power W 12 from time t 7 to time t 8 during the charging process with the time from time t 7 to t 8 are substantially constant.
  • average power Wa indicated by rightward falling oblique lines
  • Wb indicated by leftward falling oblique lines
  • maximum temperature Tjmax (maximum value of the internal temperature Tj) within charging element 15 can be reduced under the same condition of the charging time, charging element and radiator plate as in the conventional apparatus, thereby providing a charging apparatus with high reliability.
  • the fourth embodiment has been described that the switching of current is performed in two steps. However, it is possible to switch the current in two or more steps depending on a factor such as difference in heat transfer characteristic due to the shape of the radiator plate.
  • FIGS. 11 and 12 show a charging apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
  • the fifth embodiment will be described on the case where it is configured by combination with the fourth embodiment.
  • FIG. 11 is a block circuit diagram of the charging element and its vicinity of the charging apparatus according to the fifth embodiment.
  • FIG. 12 shows change over time in the capacitor charging current of the charging apparatus.
  • like reference numerals denotes the same components as in FIG. 9 .
  • FIG. 11 is an excerption of charging element 15 and control synthetic circuit 20 in charging apparatus 100 described in the fourth embodiment.
  • Another charging element 49 is connected to charging element 15 in a parallel state thereto.
  • Ones of the terminals of switch 50 a and switch 50 b for transmitting a charge control signal outputted from control synthetic circuit 20 are connected to the control terminals of charging elements 15 and 49 , respectively.
  • the others of the terminals of switches 50 a and 50 b are connected commonly and connected to control synthetic circuit 20 .
  • Switches 50 a and 50 b are driven to ON/OFF state by switch driving portion 51 . Because the circuit portions such as control synthetic circuit 20 , switch driving portion 51 and switches 50 a and 50 b are constituted of a microcomputer, the circuits thereof are simplified, thereby enabling low cost and a small sized charging apparatus 100 .
  • FIG. 12 shows change over time in the charging current.
  • currents flowing through charging element 15 and charging element 49 are expressed by If 1 and If 2 , respectively.
  • loss power of the charging element from charge start time t 0 to charge completion time t 2 can be distributed equally to two charging elements 15 and 49 .
  • Generated heat due to this loss power is transferred to the radiator plate from a radiating fin (not shown) of charging elements 15 and 49 , so that thermal resistance between the radiating fin and the radiator plate is reduced equivalently to 1 ⁇ 2, whereby the temperature rise in charging elements 15 and 49 can be reduced.
  • duty of currents If 1 and If 2 is set to 50%, that is, the ON period is set to 1 ⁇ 2.
  • the ON/OFF cycle of charging elements 15 and 49 is preferably set to 20 milliseconds or less where thermal resistance reduction characteristic can be applied. Consequently, charging elements 15 and 49 can be driven with reduced thermal resistance, whereby maximum temperature Tjmax therein can be reduced.
  • charging elements 15 and 49 are used in the fifth embodiment, three or more charging elements may be used. In such a case, all the charging elements are connected in parallel as in the fifth embodiment and the same number of switches are prepared. When actuating each charging element, the charging elements are driven in sequence by switching the switches in order. Consequently, heat generation in charging elements 15 and 49 can be further suppressed.
  • the charging apparatus according to the present invention can suppress the temperature inside the charging element to a low level, the reliability of the charging element can be improved.
  • the present invention is effective as a charging apparatus which charges a capacitor in particular rapidly, and therefore, its industrial applicability is wide.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Charge And Discharge Circuits For Batteries Or The Like (AREA)
US11/909,751 2005-06-02 2006-06-02 Charging apparatus Active 2028-02-02 US7855533B2 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2005162252A JP2006340505A (ja) 2005-06-02 2005-06-02 充電装置
JP2005-162252 2005-06-02
PCT/JP2006/311064 WO2006129782A1 (ja) 2005-06-02 2006-06-02 充電装置

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US20090009145A1 US20090009145A1 (en) 2009-01-08
US7855533B2 true US7855533B2 (en) 2010-12-21

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US (1) US7855533B2 (de)
EP (1) EP1860752A1 (de)
JP (1) JP2006340505A (de)
WO (1) WO2006129782A1 (de)

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US20170117730A1 (en) * 2015-06-26 2017-04-27 The Regents Of The University Of California Efficient supercapacitor charging technique by a hysteretic charging scheme

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JP5525791B2 (ja) * 2008-10-09 2014-06-18 オーツー マイクロ， インコーポレーテッド バッテリチャージシステム
US8264208B2 (en) * 2008-12-20 2012-09-11 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Systems and methods of charging super-capacitors
US8115457B2 (en) 2009-07-31 2012-02-14 Power Integrations, Inc. Method and apparatus for implementing a power converter input terminal voltage discharge circuit
US8207577B2 (en) 2009-09-29 2012-06-26 Power Integrations, Inc. High-voltage transistor structure with reduced gate capacitance
JP5402792B2 (ja) * 2010-04-02 2014-01-29 トヨタ自動車株式会社 電池パック入出力制御装置
JP5430794B2 (ja) 2011-09-27 2014-03-05 日立マクセル株式会社 リチウムイオン二次電池の充電方法
JP5942083B2 (ja) 2011-12-15 2016-06-29 パナソニックＩｐマネジメント株式会社 キャパシタ装置
CN103036285B (zh) * 2012-12-07 2015-12-02 陕西千山航空电子有限责任公司 一种超级电容充电电路
EP3126922B1 (de) * 2014-04-02 2021-06-02 Bookleaf Pty Ltd Batterieverwaltungssystem und verfahren und batteriebetriebenes gerät damit
CN115853711A (zh) * 2015-10-26 2023-03-28 通用电气公司 对电容器组预充电
GB2551465B (en) * 2016-03-21 2022-04-06 Haldex Brake Prod Ab A regulator control circuit
RU2721013C2 (ru) * 2016-12-02 2020-05-15 Дженерал Электрик Компани Предварительная зарядка конденсаторной батареи
CN118040809A (zh) * 2022-11-08 2024-05-14 台达电子工业股份有限公司 用于超级电容的充电电路、充电方法与电力系统

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EP1860752A1 (de) 2007-11-28

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